Transcript ch 18 sec 3x

Africa HumanEnvironment
Interaction
Ch 18 sec 3
I. Desertification of the Sahel
• The grasslands south of the
Sahara desert are turning
into desert, partly because
of changes in the climate,
and partly because of
human activity.
• Overgrazing of the grass,
farming, and population
growth have turned
grasslands into desert.
I. Desertification of the Sahel
• Forest regions are
disappearing around the
Sahel as well.
• Slowing desertification is a
difficult process; some
countries are replanting
trees and changing how
farming practices use the
land.
II. Harming the Environment in
Nigeria
• When oil was discovered in
Nigeria, the government and
foreign oil companies did not
use safe practices to extract
the oil.
• Nigeria is the 6th largest oil
producer in the world. It was a
wealthy nation until oil prices
fell, and it couldn’t pay its
debts.
II. Harming the Environment in
Nigeria
• There have been over 4000 oil
spills in Nigeria, and there has
not been any effective clean up
operations.
• The government is still corrupt,
and there are other problems
facing the people, including
how to benefit from having the
large oil reserves.
III. Controlling the Nile
• The Nile has provided life for
Egypt, however, while the periodic
flooding was necessary to make
the land fertile, it also caused
much damage.
• The Egyptians built the first Aswan
Dam in 1902, but it became
outdated rather quickly.
III. Controlling the Nile
• They built another dam, the
Aswan High Dam, in 1970 to try
and control the flooding. It
provides a steady supply of
water and kept the lower Nile
from flooding.
• The problems with the dam
were many. First, many people
had to move from the region
that would become flooded.
III. Controlling the Nile
• Ancient Egyptian temples had to
be moved, or flooded by the
lake. The soil became less fertile
because there was no more
flooding.
• More mosquitos and the
diseases they carry showed up
because of the lake created by
the dam.
In your notebooks
• Create your own process of desertification in your notebook.
Use pictures and captions to show how an area can become
desert over time. Look on pages 424-425.